Cairns

Regarding "Wonders Down Under," by Jerry V. Haines (Jan. 20): Haines is lucky that he only got carsick on his outing to the Great Barrier Reef. On our trip last year aboard a catamaran operated by Quicksilver Connections, we wound up on choppy seas two hours from the mainland with inadequate warning. The ship and the pontoon platform bounced their passengers for several hours before the two-hour return to Port Douglas. Under those conditions, the Great Barrier Reef was clouded and uncomfortable.

The annual solar eclipse in the West on Sunday might be considered a stage-setter for a another solar eclipse coming in the fall - and a reason to travel to Australia. Brownell Travel based in Birmingham, Ala., offers an 11-night trip that features the Nov. 14 total eclipse that will only be seen Down Under. The path of totality of the eclipse, which begins at dawn, is in the northern edge of the country. On the trip, participants will be near Cairns on a cruise to view the early-morning eclipse and later tour the Great Barrier Reef and Daintree Rainforest on the northeast coast of Queensland.

Deloris St. John ("More Than Just Carsick Near Cairns," Letters, Feb. 3) complains about choppy seas on her Great Barrier Reef trip and suggests that going to an island will solve that problem. When the ocean is choppy, the viewing is poor whether you enter the water from land or boat. We also took a boat to a pontoon last July, and we had a wonderful time snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef. Luck and timing helped, and, of course, checking the weather. We stayed in Cairns and enjoyed every minute.

1. Australia Australia has had one of its more disastrous summers. Floods, fires and cyclones have affected nearly every state, and recovery will take a long time. Worst hit was the state of Queensland, which suffered through historic floods only to face one of the largest cyclones Australia has seen. The disasters affected the capital, Brisbane, along with holiday locations such as the Sunshine Coast, Townsville and Cairns that are popular departure points for the Great Barrier Reef.

The town of Walsrode, midway between Bremen and Hannover, celebrates its 1,000th anniversary this year. In this Luneburg Heath area, between the Elbe and Aller rivers, is evidence of prehistoric man: cairns and passage tombs of great stones. On this year's agenda are 120 holiday programs. The monastery, the bird sanctuary and the Heath Museum will be open to visitors. For details write to: Fremdenverkehrsamt, Postfach 1443, 3030 Walsrode, Federal Republic of Germany.

A plane carrying Vice President Dan Quayle touched down safely Saturday in the Australian resort city of Cairns after a warning light falsely indicated a possible engine fire, a spokesman said. In Washington, Craig Whitney, Quayle's deputy press secretary, said the pilot of the Boeing 707 airliner dubbed Air Force Two received what proved to be a false signal that one of its engines was on fire. "The pilots noticed what is referred to as the 'fire light' flickering--all it did was flicker--while en route from Sidney to Cairns," Whitney said.

Marge and Ken Kantor's fine Kuranda article Oct. 11 describes one of the many worthwhile attractions easily reached from Cairns, Australia. As part of a 16-member Canyon Explorers Club contingent on a July outing, we too had the pleasure to visit Kuranda and the Atherton Tableland. But to us an even greater far north Queensland satisfaction was an eight-day Cairns to Cape York safari that relied on rugged yet comfortable four-wheel-drive cars for the northbound leg and a plane for the return.

If you're planning to travel within Australia, perhaps while attending World Expo 88 next April 30 to Oct. 30, there are several air passes to consider. Some of these passes are on a directional basis and some are based on the distance flown. East-West Airlines has a batch of passes, including three new ones, all costing about $415 at current rates of exchange. A new Sun Pass, with Sydney, Brisbane, Cairns and Ayers Rock on the itinerary, can be started in either Sydney, Brisbane or Cairns.

1. Australia Australia has had one of its more disastrous summers. Floods, fires and cyclones have affected nearly every state, and recovery will take a long time. Worst hit was the state of Queensland, which suffered through historic floods only to face one of the largest cyclones Australia has seen. The disasters affected the capital, Brisbane, along with holiday locations such as the Sunshine Coast, Townsville and Cairns that are popular departure points for the Great Barrier Reef.

The annual solar eclipse in the West on Sunday might be considered a stage-setter for a another solar eclipse coming in the fall - and a reason to travel to Australia. Brownell Travel based in Birmingham, Ala., offers an 11-night trip that features the Nov. 14 total eclipse that will only be seen Down Under. The path of totality of the eclipse, which begins at dawn, is in the northern edge of the country. On the trip, participants will be near Cairns on a cruise to view the early-morning eclipse and later tour the Great Barrier Reef and Daintree Rainforest on the northeast coast of Queensland.

AIRPORTS were open and some tours resumed last week after Australia's most powerful cyclone in decades wrecked hundreds of homes and businesses Monday in mainly rural areas on the eastern coast. Some resorts and roads remained closed in Queensland state after Cyclone Larry, a Category 5 storm, struck the Innisfail area south of Cairns especially hard.

Deloris St. John ("More Than Just Carsick Near Cairns," Letters, Feb. 3) complains about choppy seas on her Great Barrier Reef trip and suggests that going to an island will solve that problem. When the ocean is choppy, the viewing is poor whether you enter the water from land or boat. We also took a boat to a pontoon last July, and we had a wonderful time snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef. Luck and timing helped, and, of course, checking the weather. We stayed in Cairns and enjoyed every minute.

Regarding "Wonders Down Under," by Jerry V. Haines (Jan. 20): Haines is lucky that he only got carsick on his outing to the Great Barrier Reef. On our trip last year aboard a catamaran operated by Quicksilver Connections, we wound up on choppy seas two hours from the mainland with inadequate warning. The ship and the pontoon platform bounced their passengers for several hours before the two-hour return to Port Douglas. Under those conditions, the Great Barrier Reef was clouded and uncomfortable.

Alisa Cairns speaks with the voice of authority. The director of events for Bluetorch, a new media company that covers surfing, among other sports, is the source pro surfers tap before heading off to World Championship Tour events at exotic locales such as Portugal, Australia and France. Need to know where to get a decent hotel? How to get to the event? Whether the drinking water is safe? Cairns, a former world tour surfer, has the answers.

S.G. Warburg Group announced Monday that its chief executive, Lord Simon Cairns, has resigned from London's biggest investment bank. Warburg's chairman, Sir David Scholey, takes over the duties of chief executive at the bank, which has shown signs of trouble ever since a proposed merger with Wall Street powerhouse Morgan Stanley collapsed in December.

Thank you for featuring Judy Cairns of San Pedro, who for the past 10 years has been diligently feeding and caring for two feral cat colonies, trying to alleviate some of the misery created by irresponsible pet owners ("Local Hero," Dec. 13). Cairns enlists the help of sympathetic veterinarians for sterilization and medical care, and sometimes places the cats in new homes. She is truly a hero. My own activism has brought me to the realization that people who came to the aid of animals are also those who are kindest to human beings.

AIRPORTS were open and some tours resumed last week after Australia's most powerful cyclone in decades wrecked hundreds of homes and businesses Monday in mainly rural areas on the eastern coast. Some resorts and roads remained closed in Queensland state after Cyclone Larry, a Category 5 storm, struck the Innisfail area south of Cairns especially hard.

Hundreds of youths went on a rampage in Huntington Beach on Sunday afternoon, pelting police officers with rocks and bottles, storming a large lifeguard station and overturning and burning police vehicles. Police said at least 12 people were injured, including five Huntington Beach officers and one Orange County sheriff's deputy. Thirteen people were arrested but scores of youths who threw bottles at officers or took part in the destruction escaped in the confusion.

A plane carrying Vice President Dan Quayle touched down safely Saturday in the Australian resort city of Cairns after a warning light falsely indicated a possible engine fire, a spokesman said. In Washington, Craig Whitney, Quayle's deputy press secretary, said the pilot of the Boeing 707 airliner dubbed Air Force Two received what proved to be a false signal that one of its engines was on fire. "The pilots noticed what is referred to as the 'fire light' flickering--all it did was flicker--while en route from Sidney to Cairns," Whitney said.

It doesn't take many walks up and down the boulevard here to determine that this is a city known for its proximity to a creature that swims, has a long bill and can weigh three-quarters of a ton. All you have to do is read the signs: Marlin Coast Nursery, Marlin Coach Tours, Marlin Radiator, Marlin Bar, Marlin Coast Lawn Bowls Club, Marlin City Hi-Fi, Marlin Marina, Marlin Gifts . . .